Feed-water heater and purifier



(No Model.) Y v W. WEBSTER. FEED WATER HBATBRAND yPUMPIBR.

UNrTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VARREN WEBSTER,l OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FEED-WATER HEATER AND PURIFIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,072, dated July 14,1891.

Application filed January 7, 1891.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WARREN WEBSTER, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State ofPennsylvania,have invented a new and useful lmprovement in Feed-WaterHeaters and 'Puriiers, which improvement is fully set forth 1n thefollowing specification and accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to improvements 1n feed-water heaters andpurifiers; and it consists, first, of means for automatically operatingthe valve of the Water-supply pipe thereof, consisting of agravity-regulating apparatus, as hereinafter described.

It further consists of means, as hereinafter described, forautomatically regulating the iiuctuating pressure in the vacuum-chamberof the apparatus caused by the condensation of the steam by theiuflowing water.

It also consists of the combination of parts hereinafter described.

In the drawing, which represents a perspective view, having one sideremoved, of a feedwater heater and purifier embodying my improvement,Adesignates a tank having a water-inlet pipe B, with a valve C therein..A series of pipes D within the tank connect with the pipe B anddischarge into a trough E, Which is secured to the inner wall of thesaid tank. Below the level of one of the side Walls of the tank overwhich flows the Water is a series of inclined perforatedplates F, overand through which the water passes in its descent fromthe trough, sothat it is sprayed as 1t falls.

G designates a wall or partition extending across the tank and havingits lower end below the level of the outlet-opening H, so as to holdback any impurities or scum iioating upon the surface of the water inthe vlowest part of the tank.

An exhaust-steam inlet-pipe J leads into the tank at the lower portionthereof, and an overow-pipe K leads from the tank, connecting with adrain-pipe L, which leads from the sediment-Well of the said tank, andhas a valve L therein, the said overiow-pipe being provided with acheck-valve M. So far as described the said parts are well known, beingshown and described in United States Letters Patent granted to me forimprovements in ap- Serial No. 377,060. (No model.)

paratus for purifying feed-water, and bearing date October 9, 1888,Serial No. 390,927, and are not claimed herein, being no part per Se ofthis invention.

' To automatically regulate the valve O of theinlet-pipe,thefollowing-described gravityregulating mechanism is used. N designatesa suitable open pan or other receptacle filled 6o with water connectedto an arm Pof the shaft Q, which latteris journaled in the sides of thetank or other suitable bearings, so as to be oscillated by the rise orfall of the pan, due to the quantity of water inthe lowerpart of thetank and in which the pan iioats. One end of the shaft Q passes throughthe side of the tank, preferably above the Water-level, and a rod Sisconnected to an arm R thereof. The said rod S is also attached to onelimb of a pivoted lever T, which latter has secured to its other limb arod U, fastened to the valve O of the water-supply pipe, Whereby theoscillation of the shaft Q, caused by the rise or fall of the pan N,will, by means of the arm R and rod S, operate the said valve C, so asto control the supply of the water passing into the tank. A movableweight T, to counterbalance the weight of the material of the pan, isplaced on one end of the lever T. The action of the gravityregulatingapparatus thus described is posit-ive at all times under fluctuatingpressures.

The steam-inlet pipe J is connected with an exhaust-pipe V, leading froman engine or other supply of exhaust-steam, the latter pipe having acommunicating pipe WV, provided with a valve X, opening to theatmosphere.

To automatically control or regulate the iiuctuating pressure in partialvacuum withinvthe tank, which is due to the condensation of the steam bythe inflowing water, an airexhaust pipe Y leads from the air-vent of thesame, and is provided with a valve Z, o pening to the atmosphere.Between the valve Z and the said tank is an air-inlet valve A', having adownwardly-'projecting stem B ,with a head or disk O', adapted tosupport Weights thereon. The valve A is weighted, so as to regulate thepressure desired in the vacuumchamber. The operation of the said valvesZ and A in connection with the steam-inlet pipe J, is as follows: As thesteam and Water IOO enter the tank the air therein escapes through thevalve Z, which opens outward. As the pump D is operated, drawing thepurified water from the tank, the pressure of the air in the said tankis reduced, and when it is below the adjusted pressure the pressure ofthe air outside of the valve A will open the same, so that theatmospheric air will enter the tank through said valve until thepressure Within the tank, in connection withthe weights, counterbalancesthe atmospheric pressure, when the said valve will close and no longeradmit the atmospheric air. rlhe reduction or lowering of the pressureWithin the tank below the atmospheric pressure induces the flow of theexhauststeain in the pipe V toward and into the pipe J, and thus intothe tank, in preference to its passage through the pipe YV and valveX,the latter remaining closed by reason of the atmospheric pressurethereon. lVhen it is not desired to use the steam in the tank and thepressure Within is equal to that of the atmosphere, the exhaust-steamwill readily flow through the pipe lV, escaping through the valve X.

It will be noticed that, owing to the vacuumchamber and the inductiontherein of the current of exhaust-steam from the pipe J, there is nobaclepressure of steam in said pipes.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l.. A feed-Water heater and puriilerhaving a vacuum purifying-chamber,an air-exhaust pipe leading therefrom With an automatically opening andclosing valve therein. and a steam-pipe leading into said chamber, saidparts being combined substantially as described.

A feed-Water heater and purilier having a vacuu1n-chan1ber, asteam-inlet pipe, an airexhaust pipe with automatically-operating valvetherein, a discharge-pipe, a gravitating pan, a shaft with arm pivotallyconnected with said pan, an inletpipe with valve, a lever connected withsaid valve and to a rod having a pivotal connection with an arm of saidshaft, and a Weight on said lever counterbalancing the Weight of thematerial of the gravitating pan, said parts being combined substantiallyas described.

3. A tank having a vacuum with a waterinlet pipe, an ainexhaust pipewith automatically-operating valve therein, and a steanr inlet pipe withcommunicating pipe having a valve opening' to the atmosphere, said partsbeing combined substantially as described.

e. A tank having a vacuum-chamber, an

air-exhaust pipe with an automatically-operating valve therein, asteam-supply pipe with a communicating pipe open to the atm0s phere, aWater-inlet pipe with valve therein, a discharge-pipe, a gravitating panin said tank, a lever connected with said inlet-pipe valve and having acounterbalancc-Weight thereon. Afor the material of the gravitating pan,and mechanism connected With said lever and said pan for operating saidvalve, said parts being combined substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

5. A feed-Water heater and purifier having an inlet Water-pipe with avalve therein, an oscillating shaft with a projecting arm, a panpivotally connected with said arm, a lever connected with saidinlet-pipe valve, a weight on said lever balancing the material of saidpan, and a rod connected with said lever and to an arm on said shaft,said parts being combined substantially as described.

il. A feed-ivater heater and purifier having a tank, a water-inlet pipewith a valve, a g1avityregulator in said tank, an oscillating shafthaving` an arm pivoted to said regulator, a pivoted lever having a rodpivoted to one end thereof and to an arm rigidly attached to said shaft,and a rod attached to the other end of the lever and to the valve in thesupplypipe, said parts being combined substantially as described.

XVARREN XVEBSTER..

Vv'itnesses:

JOHN A. iVmnnnsnum, A. l. JnNNiNes.

